Subscribe to ert

Ex-Dyson duo to launch ‘revolutionary’ cordless cleaner

A new British technology start-up formed by two ex-Dyson engineers is hoping to revolutionise the cordless vacuum cleaner market with its debut product that will launch in late 2018.

The Wiltshire-based company, which is called Lupe, says that with its Lupe One cleaner it has developed groundbreaking new cordless vacuum technology that will “redefine the cordless floorcare market, finally delivering the cleaning power and functionality that consumers deserve”.

Lupe claimed that some leading manufacturers’ cordless cleaners do not deliver satisfactory performance, making it impossible to achieve a room-by-room clean in one session. It said that its product will change this by delivering great dirt removal, excellent filtration, a long running time, low noise and no compromise.

The company said Lupe One’s design, which will be unveiled at this year’s IFA show in Berlin (September 1-6), is based on simple aerodynamic principles not typically used in cordless vacuums, and claimed its patented technology offers “outstanding cleaning performance in an extremely energy-efficient manner”.

The Lupe One’s patented cleaner head is said to work on all floor types, removing the need for an array of different pick-up heads.

Lupe was co-founded in 2015 by managing director Pablo Montero (pictured right) and technical director Lucas Horne (left), both of whom worked at Dyson. Mr Horne was also employed by Bosch as an undergraduate engineer.

Lupe One

In 2015, they were awarded a £100,000 Innovate UK R&D government grant to develop their technology. They then matched the grant with their own money and quit their day jobs to start work on their project in a cabin in a secret location in Gloucestershire. Earlier this year, they raised £180,000 from private investors and venture capital fund Oxford Technology.

Speaking exclusively to ERT, Mr Montero said: “Working at Dyson taught us a lot – it inspired us to do it our own way. We’re ambitious guys – we’ve been taught by the best about how to penetrate the market with an innovative product. It’s a big ask, but we’re not afraid.

“Lucas had an idea for doing a different vacuum cleaner that was particularly suited to cordless machines.

“The cordless offerings on the market are all limited by their batteries and they all pretty much work in the same way – quite often there are claims of long running times, but the performance is very poor. It’s quite a disingenuous proposition for the consumer. We thought we’d tried to do things differently to get the performance and the running time together – that’s what we’ve delivered with our technology. We’ve got a ‘whole-house’ cleaning performance with high pick-up. We won’t be making any misleading claims around battery running time and performance.”

He added: “We have got something different that can solve a genuine frustration. If you look at any comments about cordless cleaners, there are lots of people talking about how they’re not delivering on performance or that they’re disappointed or frustrated because it’s not what they expected.”

The Lupe One’s motor and battery can also be upgraded as the technology evolves. Based on a modular design, the battery pack is interchangeable and the motor can be easily switched for a new, improved one, as they become available.

Said Mr Montero: “These are the two principal components that wear out or get superseded in a few years on cordless products – it’s another frustration for consumers who want long-lasting products. We’re designing it with long-term ownership in mind.”

Lupe is hoping to launch its Lupe One cleaner in autumn 2018 and it will be aimed at the premium end of the market.

“It will be cheaper than Dyson but more expensive than Gtech – hi-tech but better value,” said Mr Montero.

The company is currently in discussion with its manufacturing partners in the Far East and it will spend the next 12 months developing preproduction models. It is also planning to work with a leading crowdfunding platform.

Said Mr Montero: “We want to be a technology brand – this is our debut hero product and it will help fund and build the business for the long term. We want to be developing other products over the coming decades.”

Lupe’s chairman is Hans Falkenburg, the former chief executive of the Cotswold Outdoor and Snow and Rock Group, and the company’s sales and marketing adviser is Charles Gordon, who was previously the commercial and international sales director at Bissell and group marketing director at Hoover.

The company has also taken on a design engineer called Oliver Skittery as a full-time employee.

Lupe One will be on show at this year’s IFA exhibition in Berlin, Germany – September 1 to 6.